Origins of the Uzumaki
by Elizabeth White
Summary: AU Kazue Uzumaki is Naruto's maternal grandmother. Discover the origins of the Uzumaki clan and secrets about the Biju.
1. Obaa-chan

Standard disclaimers apply

A beautiful woman that appeared to be in her mid-twenties walked at a slow, steady pace; this bewildered many, as she walked with the grace and attitude of wisdom through great age. Stopping in front of the orphanage of Konoha, the mysterious woman did a few hand signs and shifted into her demon fox form. Kazue Uzumaki, in her fox form, stealthily observed one orphan in particular. She knew he was her grandson from the hair and features. He was the spitting image of his father, her beloved son-in-law, Minato Namikaze.

Kazue waited till the children went to bed. The fox demoness felt tears gathering in her eyes from the caretaker's cruelty to her three year old grandson. The poor child asked to be tucked in, like the children around him, and was rebuffed with a simple, cruel phrase:

"I don't touch demons." Kazue knew that while that may be true, to an extent, these humans had no right to talk that way to her little grandson. He was three, for Kami's sake! He was the greatest victim from the consequences of his birth. These pitiful humans didn't know the whole story. _Typical, _thought the demoness, _they assume they are all knowing, and all righteous, yet they act like my grandson is whom he carries! He is nothing more than an innocent child, yet they blame him! Fools . . . _

Having seen enough damning evidence for her case, Kazue went to the Hokage to demand that her grandson be given into her care, after shifting to her human form. Along the way, Kazue thought back to all the cruelty she'd seen the caretakers permit; things they should have taught their wards to not do.

All throughout the day, Naruto was bullied; ranging from verbal assault to outright physical attacks. The worse thing wasn't that the kids thought this was permissible; although that was bad. The worst part was that the children that did this in front of the caretakers weren't punished or asked to apologize.

Kazue also observed that the caretakers always placed the blame on her grandson's shoulders. She knew that this would lead the boy to place unnecessary guilt upon his conscious over the natural failures of life. This environment was simply too toxic!

Stirring out of her recollections, Kazue asked to meet with the Hokage over a case of child abuse. The secretary tried to direct Kazue to the Uchiha police services, but she failed to notice that the Hokage heard the commotion and was curious as to what was going on. Kazue's heightened sense of smell alerted her to his presence. Knowing she had to play her cards right from the start, the Uzumaki woman used her political leverage:

"As the Uzumaki clan head, I must speak with the Hokage concerning my grandson that _your_ village has in their orphanage. According to Konoha's by-laws concerning clans, I am allowed the right to rear and train my grandson in the ways of our clan. For the last time, _where is the Hokage_?" Hiruzen Sarotobi, having heard enough, rushed onto the scene.

"Who are you to make this ridiculous claim? The last Uzumaki by birth was killed in the attack by the Nine-tailed fox! How dare you make such a mockery of the dead!?" Kazue, knowing her explanation should not be heard by the ears of a secretary, pulled a grandma move on the venerable Hokage; she pulled on his ear and dragged him to his office.

"Before you question the validity of my claims, perhaps you would do well to remember how powerful Kushina Uzumaki was. She was my daughter and I was able to teach her nearly everything she knew. The only thing she learned from your pathetic excuse of a village was that people are prejudiced idiots that fear those who are different. Do not deny this; I know the abuse she went through as a child. However, that is neither here nor there." Hiruzen stared more closely at the woman in front of him. She did bear a resemblance to Kushina. Yet, she looked so young! Surely she must have a genjutsu on her, like Tsunade.

"If you need further proof of my claims, here is Kushina's birth certificate." As Hiruzen looked at the certificate, he noticed three things: it was in the ancient style of birth certificates from Uzu, Kushina's father was a man named Kurama Uzumaki, and her mother was called Kazue. Staring at the document, he begrudgingly accepted it. The Hokage knew this would not bode well with the civilian and ninja councils, but according to the law, he had to comply with Kazue's wish to gain guardianship of one Naruto Uzumaki.

"Very well, Uzumaki-sama. I will write up the authorization for you to adopt Naruto. When would you like to pick him up?" Smiling inwardly, Kazue stated:

"I would like to pick him up tomorrow afternoon, so I can come in the morning and get to know him. This will also aide him in choosing whether he wants to go with me or not."

"Uzumaki-sama, with all due respect . . ."

"No, Sarotobi-san. Listen carefully to what I have to say, or you may regret it. I spent this entire day observing my grandson and his environment. Under normal circumstances, I would not interfere with your village's jinchuriki," Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock, "but considering the events surrounding his birth, I knew he may become reviled by the people of your village. Imagine my shock when I discover that your solution to this problem was a Band-Aid over a gushing wound. Did you honestly think simply muzzling the people's ability to discuss the incident would stop the negative attention Naruto would receive? You knew that my grandson was a walking target due to his parentage, yet instead of placing him in a stable home, preferably with a clan, you denied him the knowledge of his true heritage. All of this was, so you claim, in protection of Naruto. _How do you call protecting a child allowing their peers to physically and verbally assault him! How on earth does allowing the caretakers to neglect him help his mental growth; you should be ashamed of yourself!?"_ Kazue screamed at the end of her long-winded speech.

All Hiruzen could do was hang his head; she was right.


	2. Partial truth

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

Civilians yawned and grumbled while the ninjas on the council quietly took their seats for the emergency meeting called by the Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi was not looking forward to this meeting. He knew the civilians would be confrontational about this issue, especially since they were responsible for the village's knowledge of Naruto's status as a jinchuriki.

"As Hokage, I have called this emergency meeting to discuss a development with Naruto Uzumaki." At the mention of the village's Jinchuriki, everyone perked up. The civilians perked up because they hoped this meant that Sarutobi had finally seen logic; that killing the demon was best for the village. The clan heads on the ninja council perked up because they wondered if they'd have to fight off the Nine-Tailed Fox again; they feared they would lose more family to the monster.

"It has come to my attention that Naruto has family on his mother's side. As his mother came from a notable clan . . ."

"I find it very interesting that a family member of the jinchuriki has suddenly appeared. Could this not be a farce to gain access and influence over the jinchuriki?" Danzo attempted to state neutrally. The civilians instantly jumped on this theory, whereas the ninjas were not so quick to agree.

"With all due respect, Danzo," said the regal Hyuga clan leader, Hiashi Hyuga, "perhaps a better question would be not if he is truly part of a clan; perhaps it would be better to ask what the boy's linage is. After all," Hiashi, at this point, turned to the Hokage with Byakugan blaring, "this would permit us to know if this supposed family member even has a claim on his guardianship." Smiling to herself, Kazue Uzumaki stepped out of the shadows in her human form, startling the ninjas that had not sensed her, and all the civilians.

"As expected from the father of my grandson's former intended. Although my daughter's birth certificate convinced the Hokage, I can sense from having listened in a bit that both councils have not been told the truth of the biju's attack." Danzo stood up, wanting to know how much of the secret information of the Leaf this 'young woman' knew, but Hiruzen raised his hand in obvious authority, like commanding a dog to sit. Danzo begrudgingly obeyed the Hokage.

"My name is Kazue Uzumaki, and I am the current clan leader of the Uzumaki clan. My husband is currently unable to lead our clan, though he is still alive. However, that is neither here nor there. I can tell you're all curious, so a little history lesson may be in order."

"My clan was founded by two people, named Kurama and Kazue Uzumaki, with a great capacity toward fuinjutsu taught straight from the Sage of the Six Paths." At this point, many scoffed at the myth of the great Sage. "My husband and I are descendants of these founders, and all of our descendants have had a few traits in common: we have inhuman stamina, quick tempers, and a high sense of honor." Suddenly, Danzo interrupted Kazue, snidely commenting:

"Even if what you say is true, why were you and your supposed daughter the last ones in the clan?" Kazue scowled, saying:

"Our village of origin, Uzu, was attacked by many villages that feared our abilities with seals. As I'm sure the ninja in this village are aware, fuinjutsu is an art that is only limited by your creativity. Unlike all the others, taijutsu, ninjutsu, senjutsu, and all the rest of the disciplines a ninja can undertake, you must have a true gift for it. My clan, before it was scattered, were also related to the Senju clan through marriage. In plain terms, that makes our clans cousins." At the mention of the relation to the Slug Sage, everyone but the Hokage stiffened; why had they not known this?! Danzo, thinking he had an ace up his sleeve, said:

"The Hokage said that you're related to the Jinchuriki on his mother's side. According to clan laws, the father's clan supersedes the mother's claim on the child." Smirking, as Kazue had led them right where she wanted, she said:

"You wish to know my grandson's full heritage, correct? Perhaps the Hokage can verify for everyone here if this birth certificate sent to me before my son-in-law's death, as a precaution for his son, is legal?" Everyone stared at the supposed Uzumaki clan head wondering what game she was pulling. Hiruzen, though nervous about revealing what he knew was on the document, knew Kazue wouldn't let him say no.

"This legal, Konoha birth certificate copy is identical to the one in my desk for Naruto Uzumaki. It clearly shows that Naruto is the child of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki." At this piece of information, every single ninja that had been unaware felt weighed with guilt. How could they ignore the Fourth's legacy!

"I see that the magnitude of your transgressions is weighing heavily on you. Good; before I came to request what is mine by law and familial duty, I observed my grandson for one day to see if he would be happier in his current environment. I was appalled by the scenes playing out in front of me. As a mother of two children, I know children will quarrel; it is the job, no the duty, of those raising the children to instill good morals. In the orphanage, the children were not only unpunished for harassing and verbally assaulting _my_ family, but the caretakers were neglecting him. If you think you will be able to suppress the demon chakra in the boy by treating him like he's the Kyuubi re-born, you're wrong. The more traumas a jinchuriki goes through, the easier it is for the demon to take over."

"The hardest part of being a jinchuriki, as my daughter told me, is the fact that your body, something that should be your own, was chosen to be a sacrifice for your village. As my Kushina once told me, 'they assume that because there is a seal that shows up when you do chakra, you're some type of monster.' " After her long-winded lecture, the council, by a 2/3rds majority, decided that Kazue would be Naruto's legal guardian, as long as they lived in Konoha. Kazue, having expected this condition, agrees, but with some terms of her own.

"I accept living in Konoha, although with two conditions: my grandson's heritage will be revealed upon him graduating from the ninja academy, as well as his true birth name. My second condition is that everything owned by my grandson be returned to him. I have trusted people in the banking world who kept track of Naruto's financial heritage from his parents, and thus out of certain people's hands." As she said the last part, Kazue glared at Danzo.

"As far as his jutsu heritage, I checked the old Namikaze place, and apparently, some idiot decided to _try_ to undo the blood seals on the mansion to attain its' wealth of knowledge. As the seals had been made to do, they burned down the building and with it, all that knowledge. Fortunately, my son-in-law, before the birth of my grandson, gave me copies of the knowledge." Shock appeared on all the council members face, though none as pronounced as Danzo. After all, he'd sent his expert seal masters in ROOT to try and steal that wealth of knowledge, without the Hokage's permission of course. With a bow, Kazue left the council with a regal posture, having said her fill.


	3. Truth

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

_All in all, things are going according to my plan_, Kazue thought with a smile as she brought her grandson home to the Uzumaki mansion. Smiling down at her little grandson, she was pleased to know her husband was so close to her. After all, she is the Nine-tailed Vixen, whereas he is the Nine-tailed Fox.

A little known fact about the Bijus was that there weren't nine in total; there were actually eighteen, one mated pair for each male biju. Kazue, as well as her fellow female bijus, came into existence by the Sage of the Six Path's generosity to their husbands. As her husband Kurama had explained to her, the Sage had taken his chakra and somehow manipulated it to form her existence. Theoretically, since she and her husband were from the same chakra well, the Juubi, this was possible to do. When all her female counterparts had been formed, the Sage had asked their husbands to leave the room so they could all talk. Kazue would never forget that day . . .

_Flashback_

"I have formed you nine from your husbands' chakra for more than one purpose. I am a human, as I'm sure you're all aware, and my time is coming to an end. I want all of you lovely ladies to be loyal to your husbands. You may have to face eons of loneliness, as your husbands may become trapped in jinchuriki, as I myself had trapped the Juubi." Suzu, Miu, Izumi, Sora Hana, Kanon, Shizuka, Chiyo, Chou, and Kazue were enraptured by this human that had helped them met their husbands by bringing forth their forms from their chakra.

"I brought all of you forth to allow you to be the Matriarchs of new, powerful clans. I would recommend that all of you learn to shift your chakra into human forms. Encourage your husbands to do likewise. Start families and learn the joys of parenthood and love among yourselves and for your husbands."

"However, a word of warning; the day may come where your husbands will be trapped in the Juubi again. As that beast requires all of your chakras, it will come for all of you and your descendants. However, I have faith that one of your descendants will lead all of you and teach all of you what the right path to follow is."

"One last thing; try to help your husbands be understanding to humans; we are weaker creatures that were never meant to have chakra in the first place. I know that they may try to control your husbands, and that this will lead to bitterness in your hearts. Please do not let it take root; allow yourselves the capacity to understand and forgive those that will harm you due to fear."

_End of Flashback_

Kazue saddened, remembering the wise and kind human she'd known for such a short time. He'd died shortly after her formation from Kurama's chakra. Things had been so much simpler back then, as a young vixen with twin vixens. Oh Kami, how she missed Mito and Kushina!

Cursing the interference of some mysterious Uchiha with her second son-in-law's plan to unite all of them after years of imprisonment in their eldest daughter, she could only wish Mito had the ability to visit them. Unfortunately, Mito faked her death and passed on the torch of being her father's cage to Kushina. She was currently in the land of Wood, using her Age Progression henge to hide her immortal youth.

Glancing at her half-human, half-biju grandson, she knew that his life would be difficult, but she would never again leave his side, as long as her immortal life permitted.

After about a year of having her energetic grandson in the Uzumaki mansion the Hokage had generously given them, Kazue was thoroughly happy. For the first time in a long time, she had a little one to care for; even better, he had her beloved Kushina's temperament and positive outlook on life.

"Obaa-chan! Obaa-chan!" Hearing the most beautiful voice to her ears, Kazue turned to Naruto, only to find him with tear tracks going down his face. Knowing Naruto was not a child to cry without a reason, Kazue rushed to where he stood in the park.

"Little one, why are you crying; what happened?" Naruto, between sobs, tried to explain the situation.

"Some bigger kid told me to get lost! That I'm a Demon!" Narrowing her eyes, Kazue asked Naruto to lead her to this older child, and as it turned out, it was one of Naruto's former playmates in the orphanage. _It's been a year, damn it! Those caretakers are such idiots!_ While on the outside, Kazue's calm façade was there, inside she would have loved to go nine-tailed vixen on their arrogant faces. After a quick talk to assure Naruto, she confronted the child.

"Excuse me?" Kazue asked, kneeling in front of the older child that Naruto had pointed out, "Could you direct me to your caretaker or guardian?" The child, about six years of age, was two years Naruto's senior. Going pale, Ryuki Hoshino nodded and led the matriarch to his caretaker, Kana Yukari.

"Excuse me, you must be Kana." Turning to face the grandmother, a scowl came to her face.

"Please don't tell me you're sick of your grandkid already? We're not taking him back. We don't want anything to do with that demon." Internally sighing before steeling her resolve, Kazue explained in a clipped voice:

"I am not returning my grandson. I only ask you keep your wards from aggravating and causing my little one to cry. If you cannot restrain your wards, I shall request the Hokage to instigate new rules for what you teach your children. Perhaps I may even persuade him to hire all new staff, considering the political pull the Uzumaki clan has." Kana eyes widened, knowing what Kazue was implying.

"Are you saying the Uzumaki clan is part of the ninja council?" Nodding once slowly, Kana paled even further. She was a good caretaker and loved the children; she had just not bothered to protect Naruto because she blamed him for her ninja father's death four years ago.

If there was one thing you _never _did in Konoha, it was to tick off a clan on the ninja council. This was essentially political suicide, especially since a great many of them spoke to the Hokage very often. Bowing low, Kana apologized and went off to set Ryuki straight about his behavior. Pouting, Ryuki went up to Naruto, who had calmed down:

"I'm sorry I called you a demon." Smiling brightly, Naruto said just as brightly:

"I forgive you. Obaa-chan told me before we came here that it wasn't your fault. She said that adults can lead us on a wrongful path at times. I don't know what that means, but doesn't it sound cool?" Naruto said in his baby voice. Happy at his apology being accepted so easily, though in a strange way, Ryuki asked Naruto to come help him and his friends play. Nodding vigorously, Naruto and Ryuki, plus other children, chased each other as only children could.


	4. Changes

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

_First year in the Academy (Naruto is seven)_

"Obaa-chan! Obaa-chan! Wake up, you lazy vixen!" Kazue, sleeping in her smaller vixen form, was jumped upon by a nine-tailed excitable kit called Naruto Uzumaki. Many changes had come to the small Uzumaki clan.

When Naruto had turned five, Kazue had decided he was old enough to learn how to mold chakra, both the human and demon way. The human way included substitution, henge, and multi-shadow clone jutsu. The reason she had taught him such an advanced human jutsu was because she knew he already had enormous stores; a regular clone jutsu just would not cut it for her kit's power levels.

The demon things she taught him were to mediate into his mindscape, transform into his inherited kitsune form, and Biju Art: Biju or Human Outer Projection jutsu. It had taken a six year old Naruto a week to learn this jutsu, but once he had, he had been able to meet his Ojii-san, face to face. Naruto and Kurama had had their manly talk about what happened the night of his birth and, surprising Kurama, Naruto quickly forgave him, saying:

"Ojii-san, if you were really controlled, that means it wasn't your fault. I wish I could be with otou-san and okaa-san, but Obaa-chan has told me that they are here, through me. I am what is left of them and I want to be an even better Hokage than my father. Obaa-chan said that you can help me with that, if you want. Will you please help me?" Speechless and happy at the time, Kurama had smiled with a nod.

As quick as these memories came, they went away in Kazue's mind. Shifting into her human form, along with her grandson, she began to make him breakfast and instruct him on what to say at the academy.

"Little one, there are a few things we must keep secret about our family." Naruto got serious at the words his grandmother was telling him while she prepared his breakfast of miso soup, left over from last night, "You may one day tell those you trust about being a jinchuriki, but I must ask you to avoid the subject that you're a hanyou, in their eyes." About to object to keeping his heritage a secret, Kazue lifted her hand, indicating she wasn't done:

"Naruto, I only ask this for your own protection. You are my grandson; you know we have nothing to be ashamed of. However, to the villagers that revile you and refuse to sell to me for your food, you will need to prove your humanity before you reveal all to them." Tears gathered in Naruto's eyes, remembering the hurtful glares he'd gotten whenever children with civilian parents had seen Naruto come to play with their children.

"Oh little one, don't cry. You will prove to them you're nothing more than a child in desperate need of their approval." As she said this, she reached down and hugged him tight, then gave him his breakfast. Eating with his usual gusto, Kazue smiled happily. What had she ever done to be so blessed?

After breakfast, they walked straight to the Academy. Both kept their gazes off to the distance, to avoid the glares of the disapproving villagers. All of them thought the Hokage had finally gone off the deep end; letting the Demon learn to harness its' chakra would spell disaster for this village.

They were almost at the academy, when one villager, who'd just gotten out of the bar that morning, saw Naruto walking by. He furiously grabbed his empty sake bottle and ran to sneak attack the demon for murdering his ANBU wife almost eight years ago. He almost reached the child when Kazue suddenly grabbed the bottle, tossed it to the ground so hard it shattered, and lifted the drunken man off the ground, teeth gritted and eyes flashing:

"Are you such a coward that you would try to harm my family, _my grandson_, with a sneak attack that could land him in the hospital!" Having sensed an ANBU Black Ops operative that happened to be going by, Kazue yelled out:

"ANBU; would you do society at large a favor and take this drunk man to the Uchiha police station? I do not wish to soil my hand with a drunk's blood." Hearing how serious the protective grandmother was in her desire to harm the perpetrator, ANBU Dog came down and quickly took the drunk off her hands.

"My apologies, Lady Uzumaki; he shall be dealt with." Kazue nodded before she and Naruto continued on to the Opening ceremony at the academy. Fortunately, they were not late to the event. The Hokage, with a smile on his face, saw his favorite child that called him, 'my other Ojii-san' come in quietly with his protective grandmother. Another five minutes went by before the Hokage started his customary speech.

"Welcome, my children of Konoha. Today is the beginning of a journey that will define you for the rest of your lives. Remember; you fight for not only your home, but your families, friends, and your nindo way. Nindo way is what ninja call their purpose for fighting. What reason will all of you fight for? Only you can answer that. May the Will of Fire be in you all!" After the short introduction, the children were called forward to fight each other and be placed in their appropriate classes.

Naruto had had lessons on taijutsu, kitsune style, from his grandmother. It emphasized speed and a slightly brutal offensive with evading as defense. In about three minutes, Naruto had gone through three opponents, impressing the chunin and a certain jonin with a bowl shaped cut on his head. Iruka, being the teacher for the advanced students, stepped in and called over Naruto to his class with some of the other clan children. Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, and others were impressed by the blonde's skills. Kazue knew that this class would give Naruto the chance to grow in his skill, which was why she'd told him to do his best throughout the academy.


	5. Explain

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

Kazue had warned him that some of the kids would be mean to him, but Naruto thought this did not prepare him for the humiliation he went through his first day in the academy. He had almost been sure that the chunin teaching them, Iruka-sensei, was out to get him in particular.

_Flashback_

"Good day, students." Iruka gave all of them an encouraging smile, while pointedly avoiding Naruto's gaze. "Today, we will learn about the chakra system in every shinobi. Before we do, are there any of you that know how to mold chakra?" Iruka noted that the Nara heir, Uchiha student, and the Uzumaki clan heir all raised their hands. Instructing his students to go outside for a demonstration from their peers, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, and Sakura Haruno along with other civilian children in the class walked out to see the skills these three had.

"Alright, first up is Naruto." Naruto, remembering a simple jutsu that would somewhat impress his peers, did a flawless substitution jutsu. Iruka raised an eyebrow and commented snidely:

"Well, at least you can save your neck in a fight." Laughter filled the air as Naruto's face turned red from embarrassment. Why hadn't he pulled out his Multi-shadow clone jutsu? That would have been cool, after all.

"Next, Shikamaru Nara." Naruto watched as Shikamaru caused his shadow to go toward Iruka, making him dance around like a monkey. Once Iruka had enough of being humiliated, Shikamaru pulled back his clan jutsu. Turning to his secret best friend, Naruto whispered in the Nara heir's ear:

"Thanks buddy." Shikamaru nodded to the thanks.

"Next is Sasuke Uchiha." Suddenly, the bright-eyed Uchiha clan member went through some hand motions he'd learned from his Nii-san in ANBU.

"Katon: Great Fireball Flame!" All the girls were awed by Sasuke's apparent strength. Naruto, who through his hanyou abilities could sense levels of chakra, could tell that move had drained the boy. Turning to Shikamaru, Naruto whispered in his ear:

"Looks like Sasuke is drained from such a powerful attack." Shikamaru, having noticed when he would go to the Uzumaki mansion to train with Naruto, his dad and Naruto's grandmother watching over, that Uzumaki were sensory ninja, nodded his agreement.

"All right, class. Thank you to all that demonstrated, now let's go inside."

_End Flashback_

Now, after one year under Iruka's tutelage, an eight year old Naruto was only sure of two things: The basics were insanely simple and that everyone ignored him. Despite Naruto getting the second worse scores in the class (Kiba's were the worse), what he couldn't express on paper he expressed through the exercises.

Naruto was able to always come out as number one in stealth and survival exercises, which did nothing but confuse the chunins that taught the boy. Naruto's jutsus were also always flawless, though when asked to perform the Clone jutsu, Naruto would always say he was saving his version of it for the final exam, in three years!

Although this left Iruka with no choice but to fail him for the clone practices, Iruka began to gain a certain amount of respect for the jinchuriki. He never complained like the other children (Kiba) when he would barely pass the exams in class. Instead, he would ask Iruka about the topics he'd gotten wrong and why. Despite his prejudice against Naruto, Iruka couldn't help but be impressed with his maturity and thirst for knowledge.

Now that the year was over, Iruka had more time on his hands and went to talk to the Hokage about Naruto. The Third, having been expecting this, welcomed the chunin into the office. Glancing out the window, Hiruzen began the conversation.

"Iruka," said the Third Hokage "Is there a particular reason why you've come to see me?" Iruka nodded, not sure how to phrase it. Gathering his thoughts, Iruka responded to his leader.

"Lord Hokage, I wonder if perhaps Naruto being in my class is detrimental to his ninja education." Curious about what Iruka meant, Hiruzen turned to face the chunin as he continued, "I mean, all of the other chunins have discussed how Naruto could be so great at the practical things, yet so terrible at the knowledge aspect. I've observed him taking the exams, sir. He fills them with confidence, yet his answers baffle me. Especially on the history exams." This aspect of Naruto's education had come up on more than one occasion, and his grandmother's response had baffled the Hokage as well. Kazue had responded that her grandson was honest to a fault.

"I am aware that his answers are unorthodox for our traditional teaching. Perhaps we should ask his grandmother to explain further what she means by insinuating Naruto is in the right and we are wrong. After all, the Uzumaki clan, at least what I can remember of it, has always been shrouded in mystery." Iruka nodded in agreement with the Hokage.

Once Kazue had been summoned, she knew it was about Naruto's first year. Sighing internally, she was glad she'd left Naruto at the Nara clan home for the day. This conversation was not something she needed her grandson to either know about or interfere in.

"Good day, Umino-san, Sarutobi-san. Why have I been summoned?" Hiruzen pondered on what he had learned about Lady Uzumaki, as she preferred to be called, over the last five years. She was kind, considerate, and very formal. While she was easy to anger if someone attempted to place her only kin in danger, she'd also taught Naruto to use kindness and words to counter-act prejudice in the village. From his observations of the woman, she was an enigma. She deliberately shrouded herself and knowledge of her clan's past in a mystery that none could find out. It smelled of a conspiracy to Hiruzen, but he grinned and bore the lack of information, for a certain blonde boy's sake.

"Lady Uzumaki, as I'm sure you're aware, Naruto's scores this year in his training have been atrocious. He barely passed the exam needed to move on to the next year and we are concerned about how he could answer such outlandish things on the history exams." Kazue knew there was only one thing that could solve this problem; the truth. Kazue shifted through her impressions of the Third Hokage and decided to take that leap of faith with this human.

"I will explain everything, Hokage."


	6. Attack

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

Once Hiruzen had heard all the details of how the Uzumaki clan was descended from the Nine-tailed Fox, plus the truth of the attack on Konoha, Hiruzen realized that this information could cause the village to go berserk. After all, many of them already equated Naruto to the tailed beast; for them to know that he actually was the grandson of the fox would cause utter panic. Hiruzen, looking upon the face of Iruka, could tell this fit perfectly with the answers he'd seen on Naruto's history exams that year.

"Before we continue this discussion, I want it to be clear that all the information we heard today concerning the Uzumaki clan in this room, is an SS class secret that will not leave the knowledge of the people in this room." Iruka and Kazue nodded in agreement. "Now, Lady Uzumaki based on the information you've given us, can you tell us about the other female biju?"

"Well," began Kazue, "I can tell you that each jinchuriki of this era are related to the respective biju they house. As you already know, their names, in order of tails, are Suzu, Miu, Izumi, Sora Hana, Kanon, Shizuka, Chiyo, and Chou with myself as the Nine-tailed Vixen. They are my sisters and all of them have been watching over this world to see if one of our descendants is the one to do what he foretold." Pausing to think of her next words carefully, she continued:

"You see, Old Man Six Paths taught us that peace can only be achieved through understanding of one another. He would also say that there would come a day where all of us, and our descendants, would play a part in that peace. I have fought within myself to keep my promise to him; to not allow bitterness to take root in my heart toward humans. They the ones that decided my husband and his brothers were simply tools for their petty arguments and power struggles; but it has not been easy."

"While I have this internal struggle, I have tried to instill in my little one the values I was taught by Old Man Six Paths. I hope beyond hope that Naruto can move past the prejudice against us, his family, and accept that people will understand him; when he gives them a chance." Smiling to herself, Kazue waited for their opinions on the matter.

"Well," began Lord Hokage, "I can see that your perspective has influenced your grandson and that this is manifested through his education." Pausing to make sure he said this correctly, Hiruzen continued:

"I can tell through the years you have lived here among us that you only wish to live with and rear your grandson. Although I do not like that you lied to the council about your clan's history, I understand you mainly lied to protect Naruto; not yourself." Feeling his age, Hiruzen finished up by saying:

"As I said before, this is an SS class secret and is not to leave his room. I am only permitting you, Lady Uzumaki, and Naruto, to be able to reveal this clan secret." Nodding at the venerable Third Hokage, Lady Uzumaki left the office.

While Kazue was walking to the mansion, she thought on the complaints her grandson had told her of the academy's teaching methods and the knowledge they taught. She had observed he was overly frustrated at the blatant misrepresentation of the Biju, whom he considered his family. In order to help her grandson with the frustration, Kazue had taught him to read and write music as a form of de-stressing. Like anything she had taught him outside of the academy, he'd taken to it like a sponge to water.

Thus she was not surprised when she arrived at the Nara residence to hear Naruto playing the song he wrote called I'm Still Here (by Johnny Rzeznik). Listening to the words reminded Kazue of how much her grandson hid from the world, even his friends: Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Hinata. Hearing from the song her grandson's desperate need of approval from his fellow villagers brought tears of sadness to her eyes.

"Naruto, come now little one. It's time to go home." Nodding once to his Obaa-chan, Naruto bowed to Shikamaru and his father respectfully and followed his grandmother to the mansion after his "instruments" poofed away along with the shadow clones that had been playing them for the Nara family. Along the way, Kazue asked Naruto if he enjoyed visiting the Nara clan.

"Yeah, it was great! Shikamaru and I played shoji and I nearly beat him! Ojii-san's lessons on the game helped a lot with that! And then Shikamaru's mom asked to hear my latest song and that's when you came to pick me up. What did you think of my song, Obaa-chan?" Kazue, smiling at her grandson, told him:

"I enjoyed the song. Its' not my style, but then again, you're from a younger generation than me." Naruto grinned widely at the praise from one of his most precious people in the whole world.

"I'm working on another song and its' super cool! Its' about . . ." As her little one babbled about the song he was writing, Kazue used her skills to keep tabs on her surroundings. Noticing some killer intent coming toward them, Kazue mentally prepared herself for a battle.

"There he is! Let's get him! And his slut of a grandmother too!" Screamed out a mob of civilians with a few chunin in the mix; thinking fast, Kazue turned to Naruto slightly panicked.

"Little one, run as fast as you can to the mansion. I'll hold them off for as long as I can. Do not look back and do not worry about my well-being; I'm trained and you know I can handle myself! But I would just die of sadness if my only grandson were to die like this. Run, Naruto, run!" Naruto, hearing the urgency in his Obaa-chan's voice, obeyed her orders.

"You're all cowards!" Kazue yelled out once she felt Naruto was out of danger and hearing range, "You would attack an innocent child over the sins of what he contains! The civilians I can understand are scared, but you chunin should know better than to disobey a direct order from your Hokage to leave _my grandson_ alone!" One civilian, thinking he was being smart and brave, said:

"You won't stop us from purging our village of the Demon!" Narrowing her eyes, Kazue cast a genjutsu on the entire mob. As every civilian froze in place, the chunins in the crowd quickly cast off the mild jutsu.

"How dare you, demon protector! How dare you place civilians under a genjutsu?!" A chunin with a white band across his face shouted. Turning to the idiot, Kazue casually commented:

"Would you rather I do this to them?" She ran quickly to the arrogant chunin and punched him into a concrete wall, effectively knocking him out. Turning to the frightened chunins, Kazue calmly explained to the entire mob after they saw the aftermath:

"You're all forgetting your places." explained Kazue, "My place is to protect and teach my kin all I can about our clan's customs. If any of you have a problem with my heir's life, take it to the only one that can order his execution; the Hokage." Glaring at the mob one final time, Kazue left them to check on Naruto.


	7. Trauma

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

When Kazue got home, she heard the sobs coming from Naruto's room before she even closed the door. Saddened by the trauma the eight-year old must have gone through before he ran away, Kazue politely knocked on the door so as not to spook the child. Despite her cautious approach, Naruto jumped from fear and hid in his closet, thinking the mob had followed him to his own home.

"Naruto," called the concerned grandmother, "its' just me, Naruto." Shivering in the closet, Kazue knew he thought she was a henged chunin. _This is terrible! He's so traumatized that he doesn't even recognize my chakra signature!_

"Little one," coaxed the weeping grandmother, "please come out." Naruto, knowing his grandmother would be the only person in the village who would weep at his fear, cautiously came out of the closet. Once he saw the relief on her face, he ran into her arms and wept in her chest.

"Obaa-chan! Obaa-chan! I w-w-was so Scared!" Crying herself, Kazue knew he would need to come to terms with the incident in his own way; all she could do was comfort him.

"Obaa-chan; can I talk to Ojii-san?" asked the poor child, "I promise I won't talk more than a half an hour." Kazue nodded, glad Naruto was thinking of the strain the Human Outer Projection jutsu had on his hanyou chakra.

"I'll set up the timer for 40 minutes. You will have an extra ten minutes because I can sense you really need to talk to him. Use your time wisely, understand?" Nodding, Kazue set the timer in his room for forty minutes. Once she pushed the button to start the countdown, she left them to their manly talk. After Naruto did the jutsu, a projection from his seal appeared in front of him; his grandfather in his human form.

"I am so sorry, grandson. If I could, I would tear apart those villagers for this disgrace . . ." Kurama started to say, only for Naruto to interrupt him, saying:

"I know you're mad at them, Ojii-san; but hurting people for hurting you only breeds more of their attitude." Calming down, Kurama bit back his words, saying:

"I apologize, grandson. You're right; they are merely projecting their hatred of me on you. They are afraid of the power we biju, and hanyou, wield. Although that does not excuse their behavior, it does explain it. Now, I sense you wanted more from my presence than mere comfort?" Naruto nodded before saying quietly:

"I, well, I just wanted to say sorry, on behalf of the village, for them calling you a demon. I know they were referring to you, ultimately." Openly crying at his grandson's naïve and honest apology, Kurama knelt down and wrapped his grandson in his chakra's warmth.

"Naruto, you did not need to apologize to me. If anything, I should apologize to you. If I'd been stronger, I would have been able to stop myself from killing your parents." Crying at his grandfather's feeling of misplaced guilt, Naruto yelled at him:

"No! You're not to blame for it! None of our family knew that crazy Sharingan user was planning to use you! Its' not your fault and I refuse to see you blame yourself! What would Okaa-san say if she saw you blaming yourself! Huh?!" Startled by his grandson's unconditional love of him, despite his reputation, all he could do was wrap his beloved grandson in the warmth of his chakra while glancing at the timer. Seeing it was nearing 40 minutes in 2, Kurama got himself under control and said:

"Never forget this, Naruto. Your mother and aunt will always be my pride and joy. Once again, your wisdom surpasses your age. Your mother is a great deal like you; forgiving to a fault and quick to speak her mind. I am so happy to have you as a reminder of her. See you later, my beloved grandson." Fading back into the seal, Naruto shakily went to lie down on his bed for a nap.

Kazue, having sensed her husband's chakra returning into the seal, smiled happily at the sight before her. _I knew Kurama would strengthen my little one. They are good for each other_.

After placing seals infused with biju chakra, thus only allowing those with biju chakra to enter the home without permission, around the estate, Kazue tried to take a nap. Suddenly, the seals near the entrance of their home alerted her of human intruders. Finding it strange that she sensed only the Hokage and Iruka trapped in the biju seal, unable to move forward, Kazue teleported to them using Biju Art: Instant Appearance jutsu.

Meanwhile, with the Hokage and Iruka, these strange seals just solidified their suspicions that Kazue could have done the crimes she was being accused of. The chunin Kazue had punched into the wall had told the Third that Lady Uzumaki had placed civilians under a genjutsu and that when they tried to defend them from her attacks, she punched him into a wall. Kazue, upon noticing the anger on the Hokage's face, knew he wanted an explanation for her actions against the angry mob. Releasing the seals on them, Kazue invited them into her home.

"Alright, Lord Hokage; what is the version of the incident you've heard?" Hiruzen, on the offensive for the incident, said:

"You're not going to give your version first? I thought you would want to enact your rights as clan head and order their execution." Sighing at the Hokage's idiocy, Kazue explained as calmly as she could:

"That would solve nothing. As my grandson just told his grandfather, 'hurting others for hurting you only breeds more of their attitude.' Hokage, I only wish to explain the situation once you have told me the crimes. I have an inkling of who could have told you, and if I'm correct, they are more than likely trying to cause unnecessary trouble." Having heard enough, Iruka stood up, infuriated, and said:

"You attacked a chunin, Lady Uzumaki! Or should I say, Nine-tailed Vixen! How can you be so calm, acting like you are in the right!?" Pausing to process the accusation, Kazue sighed, than narrowed her eyes, asking Iruka:

"Tell me, Umino-san. How would you react if an enemy tried to attack one of your students?" Stunned by the sudden switch in conversation, Iruka answered honestly:

"I would defend my student, of course. They would be innocent and unable to defend themselves. But, what does that have to do with this situation?" Hiruzen, having pieced it together, asked:

"You were defending Naruto, weren't you?" Nodding once, Kazue explained how she had placed the mob under a genjutsu to keep them safe from the confrontation between her and about ten chunin. She was also brutally honest about the chunin that she punched into the wall and how she'd been brutal with him to cause the angry mob to back off.

"If the chunin I've offended wishes, I will publicly apologize to him and the civilians for scaring them. However," Kazue continued with a glare, "the one that _they_ need to apologize to is Naruto. The poor child was so traumatized that he didn't recognize my chakra signature until he saw my tears of concern for his well-being. His talk with Kurama has calmed him down, but the village needs a good talking to about what being a jinchuriki entails."

"It would also not hurt for Naruto's generation to understand what is going on. For too long, I've seen Naruto's classmates ignore him for a circumstance in his life that is not his doing. This is not healthy for my grandson to find true friends." Hiruzen, realizing the matriarch had used solid logic, accepted the public apology and explanation of Naruto as a jinchuriki.


	8. Visit

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

The next few days passed sadly for Kazue as she couldn't bring her grandson to leave the house alone. The only times he would leave was when he was with adults he trusted, like Hiashi Hyuga, Shikaku Nara, Cho Akimichi, and Tsume Inuzuka, their spouses, or herself; Kazue suspected this was because their children were the only ones that offered friendship to him in his class.

"Naruto," asked Kazue, "would you like to go to Hinata's house?" Nodding apprehensively, Kazue grabbed Naruto to carry him, which he barely resisted. Hoping that the public announcement would clear the air between her family and the village, she brought her little one to the Hyuga mansion, where Hiashi was waiting for them.

"Good day, Lady Uzumaki; good day, Naruto. Have you come to visit Hinata?" As Naruto timidly nodded, Hiashi thought over what his impression of the child was over the years as he let them in.

Hiashi, although the elders of the Hyuga clan didn't approve, found Naruto to be a good kid and a positive influence for his daughters, Hinata and Hanabi. Even Neji, his nephew, respected the Uzumaki clan heir, though that was due to Naruto's beat-down of him during the last academy year.

_Flashback_

"Hey, Hinata; Obaa-chan said I could come over and your Otou-san let me in!" Walking into the main branch house, Naruto saw a sight that appalled him to his core. Neji was berating his younger cousin very hurtfully.

"Neji; why are hurting your little cousin!" Neji turned to Naruto, and said with heavy sarcasm:

"She is weak! Because of her branch of the family, and her weakness, I lost my dad!" Scowling at the angry cousin, Naruto said angrily:

"Do you honestly think Hinata's responsible for the egoism of your clan's elders? If I were you, I'd be mad at the people that run your clan for de-valuing the life of your dad just because he was the younger twin!" Activating his Byakugan, Neji rushed to Naruto, intent on hurting him.

Having already sensed Neji's resolve to hurt him, Naruto grabbed his extended arm before her could shut a chakra point and flipped him over his shoulder. After Neji was slammed into the ground on his back, Naruto turned to him, flipped him, and quickly grabbed his arm, pulling back from the shoulder socket enough to cause pain.

"Listen carefully, Neji. You need to stop blaming Hinata for things beyond her control. You know that to Hinata, you're her family; she doesn't see a difference between the branch and main families. I know, that deep down you hate the way the main branch members use you; my family has a history of that too. But hating others will only cause you to be one lonely guy. I can't tell you how to feel about Hinata, but I can tell you what I've learned from life." Pulling slightly harder to get his point across, Naruto continued:

"There will always come along others who don't approve of you or your place in life." At this point, the Hyuga elders and Hiashi were watching the beat-down. "The trick to not letting them get to you is to remember that they are either: a) controlling you out of fear of your potential, or b) they have a reason that seems right in their eyes to drag you down." Glaring directly at the elders that were glaring at him with their Byakugan, Naruto continued again:

"Neji," Naruto loosened the hold, but not enough for him to escape, "stop being selfish; did you ever even try to consider how Hinata may feel due to the circumstances of her uncle's death? You are so wrapped up in your pain, that you've deliberately forgotten how much you and Hinata used to get along." Once Naruto saw the words were being processed by the nine-year old, Naruto let him go and offered his hand to help him up.

_End Flashback_

Hiashi reflected on how that little altercation had changed Neji for the better; he treated Hinata with love and kindness, much like he had when they were younger. Hiashi, after realizing that Naruto's analysis of the Hyuga elders was correct, decided that Neji would be trained like a main branch member; it was simply a bonus that the elders were mad at his decision.

Although Hiashi was tough on his daughters at times, thanks to Kazue offering advice on rearing girls, the Hyuga clan leader was much more gentle than he would have normally been, especially to Hinata. Kazue had told him that, although Hinata appeared to have confidence problems, they could be solved through seeking to encourage her inner strength.

Hiashi, realizing this may work, had tried to use patience and kindness in Hinata's training of Byakugan usage. The results had been highly encouraging; she had not only stopped stuttering, but she had even increased in her abilities beyond what he'd projected her to do. Despite the elders complaining that Hinata's kindness was a weakness, Hiashi could tell that Hinata's kindness united the family more than tradition had ever done.

As the children played in the Hyuga's large yard, Hiashi couldn't help being saddened by how the near-death experience had shaken Naruto up. He missed the energetic and, surprisingly insightful, young man.

"I know, Lord Hyuga; I miss the energy he had as well." Surprised by the comment, though not surprised that Lady Uzumaki had understood his concern, he responded in kind:

"The public apology you agreed to is scheduled for tomorrow. Personally, if someone had attempted to attack my kin, they'd be dead." Sighing, Kazue explained cautiously:

"I have my reasons; although the law does give me the right to their heads, I felt that humility of my errors would better serve the future relations between my grandson and this village. Just like his father, Naruto has a love for this village and its' people that runs deep in his heart. I've attempted to shield him from the hatred of ignorance, but hiding from hatred does not make it disappear." Nodding at the matriarch's wisdom, Hiashi commented:

"So, do you seek to bring understanding between the villagers and Naruto?" Pausing for a second, Kazue responded:

"All I wish is to see is my grandson to be able to be himself; many people would not approve of our clan's past." Looking like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, Kazue continued by saying:

"Naruto is a kind and understanding young man; this is rare for one so young. I've done all I can to cultivate the positive things about my grandson: his ability to spurn people onto a new direction for their lives, his love for this village, and his love for his family." Thinking back on the Sage of the Six Paths, Kazue off-handedly, and quietly, commented:

"He may be the one to change the world."


	9. Shame

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

The day of the public apology had arrived. The civilians were smug at the chance to publicly humiliate Lady Uzumaki; they'd made sure to bring their trash to throw at her. Those that had truly wanted this were sorely disappointed by what would really happen.

Regally walking into view in front of the crowd, some civilians began to boo the matriarch. Waiting for the crowd to notice she'd not even started yet, she spoke once they'd stopped, saying:

"I have come here to apologize for my conduct against this village. However, on this day, I'm not the only one that needs an apology." The crowd saw her gesture forward her grandson. At this point, the more volatile villagers threw trash at the poor child. Screaming from fear, Naruto hid behind his grandmother.

"Enough!" screamed Kazue, "Do you see what your unadulterated hatred has done to my kin?! If I had attacked your families with trash, would you not be demanding the Hokage for my head; would you not seek revenge!?" This was enough to stifle the trash raining onto Naruto as some in the village finally realized they'd been attacking the heir of a ninja clan. Visibly calming down, Kazue continued:

"I did not come here for either your sakes or mine. People of Konoha, you've lived in ignorance of this truth: if you allow hatred to seep into your heart, you can become what you hate! Do you think the Nine-tailed Fox wouldn't be happy to torture and traumatize your children, if he could!?" Enraged at the Uzumaki clan head's insinuation that they were no better than the Fox, they started to boo at her.

"Boo all you want; if you cannot stop hating my grandson, at least let him live his own life in peace. I won't stop protecting Naruto. He is all I have left of my youngest daughter; I would rather he live." Pausing for effect, Kazue continued:

"As I'm sure some of you are aware, I could demand the heads of all those in the mob that attempted to kill my grandson." Gulping at the truth, all the civilians in the mob unconsciously rubbed their throats. The chunins that had assisted in the attack put on an angry face; they felt like Lady Uzumaki was announcing their death.

"But I have decided that this incident should instead be a warning and a chance for understanding. I will not kill any of those involved; they acted out of fear and ignorance. This is what we as a village family must correct; not seeking revenge against each other." Calming down, everyone in the crowd looked at Kazue in confusion before she said:

"I am sure all of the civilians remember that the Nine-tailed Fox is sealed inside my grandson; this makes him a jinchuriki. But what is a jinchuriki?" Pausing as if in a classroom, Kazue answered her own question, saying:

"Since none of you can answer, let me explain in simple terms for civilians. A jinchuriki is a person that is chosen as a _sacrifice _to protect their village from the terror of a biju's power. They do this by containing, much like a pitcher of water, the biju inside. The only times a biju is able to be released from a jinchuriki is when the container, or pitcher, is broken mentally." Pausing to allow them to process the danger, Kazue continued when she saw the fear spread among the populace.

"That's right; I see all of you get it. Naruto was sacrificed by the Fourth Hokage to save this village. By abusing an innocent child, you're putting yourselves in danger! Do you understand the danger you've put yourselves in?! _If_, and that's a big if, the Nine-tailed Fox is released, it will be due to the hatred you, my grandson's village family, are breeding in him! They say it takes a village to raise a child; how have _you_ been raising Naruto?!" Shame colored the faces of the village; they'd reacted out of fear for their loved ones. They'd never given thought to what their treatment had done to the one they blamed.

Shame filled especially the members of the mob. Here was Naruto's grandmother, who had every right to ask for their heads, extending mercy. All she requested was that they apologize to her grandson for his obvious trauma; what child wouldn't have been traumatized? He'd had to run for his life away from a mob while his grandmother stayed behind, protecting him.

Knowing that as the leader of the village, he should have considered his village family's feelings much better, Hiruzen stepped forward, and said:

"I cannot speak for each of you, but I am sorry for how I did not consider all of your feelings after the Nine-tailed Fox's attack. Instead, I foolishly thought that not allowing any of you to speak of it would protect Naruto." Pausing in his apology, Hiruzen continued, saying:

"I now see that I delayed the healing necessary for all your families. I know that Naruto is a reminder of that night. I know many of you feel he is a danger to us. However," Hiruzen paused, gathering how to explain his thoughts, "if anything is the real danger, it is the inability to forgive others." Whispering among the village occurred by what the Third meant by this.

"I mean to say that we must all learn to have peace concerning the events of that night. We may never be able to forget that night, but we must try to move on with our lives. After all, if we stay stuck in the past, it is like letting the Fox win!" Moved by this analysis, the crowd quieted down. Kazue, after nodding to the Hokage in thanks, said:

"That's right. Will you let hatred rule your heart? Will you let your justified anger toward the Nine-tailed Fox be dealt upon an innocent party?!" Suddenly, surprising everyone but Kazue, Naruto stood tall before the village and said:

"I-I-I just wanted to say I'm sorry the Nine-tailed Fox killed your families. I know that will not bring them back; Kami knows I wish my parents had not died that night! But, holding onto anger will only make all of you suffer." Stunned that the Demon cared about their well-being, Naruto gained the confidence to continue:

"The only reason I ever agreed to be trained as a ninja is to be acknowledged by all of you. Do you even realize how s-s-scared I was when Obaa-chan stopped you from killing me?!" Crying now, Naruto forced himself to continue:

"When my Obaa-chan came home, I didn't recognize her. I thought she was a chunin that had killed her and was coming to k-k-kill me!" As Naruto sobbed now, the members of the mob realized they really had traumatized the child, "I only knew she was my Obaa-chan because she was crying for m-m-me!" Pausing suddenly, Naruto angrily screamed:

"Why did you do that; did you think my death would have stopped the Fox!? For all of your information, it would have been the opposite. Once a jinchuriki is killed, the biju they contain is freed and they are able to roam the earth until they are captured again!" Bordering on hysterical, Naruto screamed out loud:

"I hate the way all of you look at me! Its' like I don't even exist in your eyes! Its' like I offend you just by existing!" Kazue, knowing that Naruto had wanted to speak his heart for a long time, stayed back and let him express the pain he felt.

"Out of this entire village, I have only seven people that I know love me! My two Ojii-sans, Obaa-chan, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba! I've tried over and over again to do what Obaa-chan taught me to do; forgive all of you!" Shame permeated the crowd as they saw, not the demon, but a child that had matured far too quickly; it was their entire fault that this maturity had been forced on him.

"And now, that my Obaa-chan is simply asking you to take responsibility for your actions . . . I had to a-a-a-almost _die_ for you to realize how stupid you've been!" Realizing that the crowd had seen enough of her grandson's emotional outburst, Kazue signaled Hiashi, who had requested to be nearby as moral support, to take him away. Nodding to the concerned grandmother, Hiashi led the emotional child away from the ashamed village.

* * *

Author Note: If you're wondering when I will update, it will be pretty sporadic during the week, but I will make up for it on the weekends-Elizabeth White


	10. Apology

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

Silence reined over Konoha as every member in the crowd processed what they'd witnessed. The civilians, having finally understood their ignorance, felt shame for their abuse of the obviously traumatized child. The ninja that did not know of his heritage felt shame that they'd allowed the abuse passively by not standing up for the eight year old jinchuriki.

The ones that felt the most shame were the ninja on the council. They not only knew of Naruto's heritage, they'd abandoned the Fourth's son; except for a select few, they'd considered helping him too much trouble. Out of the entire village, very few still felt the jinchuriki had deserved the abuse.

"Otou-san" asked Sakura Haruno "was all that true? Is all that true?" The chunin, turning to his academy daughter, sadly answered:

"Yes, dear heart. Kami; we've all been so blind!" Sakura could only nod her head, as she'd never been particularly kind to Naruto. She'd no idea he was so . . . sad.

"Nii-san" asked Sasuke, "Is that all true?" Itachi, glancing at his brother, nodded; he then responded, saying:

"From what I've learned in ANBU, yes; the real question to ask yourself is this: what will you do about it?" Sasuke nodded, filled with a desire to befriend the lonely child.

"Wow; this is so . . . shocking. Otou-san, that was true, right?" Nodding sadly at his daughter, Inochi Yamanaka knew he should have reached out more to the jinchuriki, like his old team members had.

"Father," asked Shino, "what is the logic behind this display Naruto has given us?" Turning to his son, Shibi answered:

"I know our clan prides themselves on logical responses, Shino. What you must understand is that no one is perfectly logical. Naruto, like us, houses a great power that many fear." Pausing in his thought, Shibi realized some aspect he'd not considered before:

"Our clan has been very illogical in these events as well. I, as clan leader, should have led our clan in support of Lady Uzumaki's protection of her kin." Nodding along with his father, Shino saw what his father meant. Their clan had passively allowed the abuse to happen.

"Otou-san," asked Tenten "that was all . . . real, right?" Nodding sadly at his daughter, the weapons maker looked down in shame. Although he'd been kinder than most to Naruto, he'd still let the abuse happen passively.

Rock Lee, having stood beside the jonin that had offered him an apprenticeship after he graduated, turned to the man and asked curiously:

"Maito-san," asked the student, "did I do something wrong in this situation?" Turning to the academy student, Gai responded:

"We've all been in the wrong, Lee. By not defending Naruto, we allowed him to suffer. That was very un-youthful of all of us." Kakashi, who stood beside his rival, nodded passively and continued the train of thought by commenting:

"Yes; as Lady Uzumaki told us: it takes a village to raise a child. Since Naruto is part of this village, he is influenced by everyone's reactions to him." Pausing, the Sharingan user continued, saying:

"However, behind his sadness is a great love for this village." Startled by this analysis, the crowd got out of their dazes to listen to the respected jonin. "He has great hatred in his heart for the treatment, as any person would. Be there is an old saying: there is a fine line between love and hate. I suspect that Naruto's hatred stems from his desire to love and care for all of us." _If that doesn't make a future Hokage _thought Kakashi, _I don't know what would._

"Yes!" announced Kazue, startling the crowd, "The conclusion of Kakashi Hatake is correct. My grandson inherited from his father, a proud ninja of this village, a deep love for his home." Stunned at this revelation that the child could still love them, Kazue continued:

"I have observed and nurtured Naruto for years. All of what you've witnessed from my grandson stems from his love for his village family . . . and their betrayal of his trust in all of you." Knowing her impressions may help to send the message home, Kazue continued:

"I first observed the betrayal when my grandson was three. I deliberately infiltrated this village to see if I needed to raise my grandson, or if he would prefer the orphanage. Despite how shocking that may seem to some, please hear me out." Waiting until the murmuring died down, Kazue continued:

"I am, by nature, not confrontational. I knew the risks to my own person for raising a jinchuriki but I did not regard my own safety as important. No; I simply wished to raise my grandson in peace, as I had with his mother and aunt. And unlike his aunt, my youngest learned to love this village from her husband." Smiling in recollection of her beloved Kushina, Kazue continued:

"The only reason I've respected the request of both councils to keep Naruto here is because of what my second son-in-law taught me about this village: you are a people with a great will, called the Will of Fire, to help, serve, and protect each other." Visibly saddening, Kazue said:

"My beloved son-in-law would be saddened over the hatred directed toward Naruto. He was a man that protected all he could, up until his untimely end." Hoping that the people in the crowd would not realize she'd described the Fourth Hokage, Kazue continued: "He . . . taught me, based on what his sensei had taught him, that forgiveness and understanding are essential for peace, not only in us, but in the world." Remembering the Sage of the Six Paths, she looked to the sky and said:

"My own mentor taught me, my sisters and their husbands that understanding is what we would all have to have for everyone we come in contact with." Knowing now was a good time for the real reason of this meeting, Kazue said:

"Thus, I must honor my mentor and say this: I am truly sorry for the pain I've caused the mob and I beg the forgiveness of the chunin I hurt. I do not ask you to forgive me now; all I ask is that you know I regret the pain I caused _my_ village family." Bowing low to the crowd, Kazue awaited their judgment.


	11. Aftermath

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

Shock filled the village as the enigma that was Lady Uzumaki bowed in apology before the village. Suddenly Kana, a caretaker from the orphanage, lifted Kazue from her prostrate position on the ground. Smiling at the young caretaker, Kazue said:

"I remember you, young lady. You're the caretaker that has kept the children in the orphanage from misbehaving toward my grandson." Smiling at the Lady Uzumaki's flawless memory, Kana said:

"Thank you, for remembering me, Lady Uzumaki. However, I believe I speak for all of us when I say you have nothing to apologize for. Anyone of us that has grown to love children, whether they are ours or not, knows you acted out of love and protectiveness." Smiling at the caretaker, this encouraged Kana to continue, saying:

"I had a ninja for a father before the Nine-tailed Fox attacked Konoha." Visibly saddening at the mention of her father's death, Kazue comforted the poor girl to strengthen her resolve. "When Naruto was in my care, I can honestly say that I only saw him as the Demon. All of us caretakers were remiss in our duty to care for Naruto." Glancing at the grandmother, Kana shakily continued:

"I can't even begin to imagine what Naruto would have become without your unconditional love for him. You knew he was a jinchuriki, yet you still loved him. So," said Kana, "if anything must be said, it is thank you. Thank you for being so understanding for so long." Tears running down her face, Kazue responded in a voice of joy:

"I cannot help but think of my second son-in-law and his love of the people he'd sworn to protect here. I can almost imagine him smiling down upon us, happy that the village he loved has decided in their hearts to get to know the real Naruto." Suddenly, surprising everyone again, Shibi Aburame, along with his heir Shino, stepped forward and bowed in apology to the matriarch.

"Lady Uzumaki," Shibi said in his usual stoic voice, "I, as the clan leader of the Aburame clan, would like to apologize for not defending your grandson. We allowed the abuse to his psyche by not defending him." Smiling gratefully, Kazue turned around to look at Naruto, who'd snuck back to the gathering. Eyes wide, Naruto said:

"You're all sorry?" Upon seeing some of the civilians and most definitely the ninja in the crowd nodding to the child, Naruto visibly brightened, saying:

"Yeah; I'm so glad!" Smiling like the sun, Naruto wisely said: "Now I can finally get to know all of you; the real you!" Smiling at the innocence of the eight-year old, Kazue bowed out of gratitude, saying:

"Now that this situation is behind us, I would like to say this: thank you; thank you for welcoming us into your village family." Cheering rang into the air as the Uzumaki clan was welcomed into the village family.

A few days later, all of Naruto's close friends, along with some of his classmates, were over for a sleepover. The crowd consisted of Neji and Hinata Hyuga, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, Tenten, Rock Lee, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi. They were playing a silly teenager game in an attempt to be cool: Truth or Dare.

"Hinata," Naruto gently prompted, "its' your turn now." Naruto had just gone and had placed Hinata on the spot by getting her to admit she loved romance manga. Needless to say, Hinata wanted to get him back. Picking Kiba next, Hinata waited for Kiba to do his dare on . . . you guessed it, Naruto.

"Naruto, pick; truth or dare?" Naruto, who always said dare to avoid the dangers of truth, regretted it when he heard the dare.

"I dare you to kiss Hinata." Laughter rang out among the children as poor Naruto's face turned beet red. Unfortunately for Naruto, that was the moment his grandmother decided to peek her head in. Naruto knew she'd sensed the embarrassment coming from him and turned even redder, if that were possible.

"Remember our deal, children? If I allowed all of you to play this game, you wouldn't make the dares serious matters." Glaring at Kiba, who shrunk down from the look he'd dubbed Kazue's 'alpha-dog look,' because one glance from her with that look instilled immediate obedience from everyone. The only one that seemed to have immunity was Naruto, for obvious reasons.

"Obaa-chan; we were just having fun!" Kazue scoffed, saying:

"I do not see anything enjoyable about socially pressuring your friends into embarrassing situations. And now, I pass by to check on all of you, only to hear that you are all pressuring Naruto into kissing Hinata." The 'alpha-dog look' increased in intensity as Kazue continued her tirade:

"Hear me clearly, children. For a girl, a kiss means something special, especially her first one. While men tend to enjoy the physical aspects more, girls view the kiss as a connection between them and their intended love." Pausing so that everyone could process the explanation, with beet red faces, Kazue took the time to explain as clearly as she could:

"Kiba; while I understand that you merely wished to embarrass Naruto, you did this without considering how Hinata would feel after the kiss." _Especially since you know she has a crush on him_, thought Kazue. "All of you may continue, _but_, if I catch a whiff of serious dares being made, I will stop the game and you can all play board games instead. Am I clear?" All of the children nodded, not wanting to incur Lady Uzumaki's wrath. Naruto laughed nervously once his grandmother left the room.

"Sorry 'bout that guys. Obaa-chan did raise my aunt and mom, after all. She's pretty in-tune with how girls think about certain things." Sakura, wanting to understand the enigma that is Naruto, asked him a direct question.

"Naruto," seeing Naruto turn his attention to her, Sakura continued, "At the public assembly of the village, you had mentioned that there were only seven people that you knew loved you." Sensing where Sakura was going with this line of questioning, Naruto unconsciously stiffened out of nerves.

"Well, we've all heard you call the Third 'my other ojii-san'. Who is the first ojii-san?"


	12. Just Truth

Standard disclaimer apply

* * *

Kazue had sensed the question being asked in the other room; despite being concerned, she trusted Naruto's judgment on whether or not these classmates of his could know the truth. _After all, Kurama is merely known by a description. His true name was never recorded in human history._

"W-w-well, um . . ." Naruto was nervous, to put it bluntly. He wanted to trust these kids, but to do so would open himself to their hatred. Naruto had just been through an emotional situation a few days ago; he didn't want to incur wrath upon his person.

"Okay," Naruto said as he came to a decision, "if I tell you some of this, I only ask two things: keep all comments to yourselves until the end, and tell no one; most of all your parents." Stunned that Naruto was being totally serious, Ino commented:

"You mean its' one of the Uzumaki clan secrets?" Ino, always eager for gossip, leaned toward the boy in excitement at the potential scoop. Naruto glared at her, saying:

"Ino; I know you like to talk about other people's lives through gossiping. I'm totally serious when I say you've got to keep this a secret. My clan's past is considered an SS class secret; only my Obaa-chan and I are allowed to reveal it." Gulping, Ino knew enough from her father's job with the Torture and Interrogation Department that an SS class secret was best unknown to the general public.

"Naruto," asked Hinata, "what is so bad about your clan's past that it would be that protected?" Internally sighing, Naruto said as calmly as he could:

"My mother's family, the Uzumaki clan, is . . . _unusual_ compared to most other clans." Sasuke caught onto an important aspect that he'd suspected from the public apology.

"Naruto," asked Sasuke, "you're not an Uzumaki by birth, are you?" Getting impatient, Naruto said:

"Will everyone stop talking and let me get a word in!? I will answer all of the questions _if_ all of you give me a chance to explain." As silence descended upon the group, Naruto explained how his Ojii-san was the one sealed away in him, how he is half-biju, and how the Fourth Hokage had chosen him, his own son, as a jinchuriki. He also explained how his Ojii-san still felt guilty for being controlled by the mysterious Sharingan user to attack an innocent village.

Shock spread through the room as each word came out of Naruto's mouth. To think that the Fourth was his father! But even more stunning, Naruto was actually a hanyou! Hinata, whose opinion of Naruto had not changed, commented:

"Naruto," turning to Hinata, expecting hatred, he was shocked to see tears gathering in her eyes, "I'm so sorry. Not only can your grandfather never be free till you pass on, you lost your father and mother because of a rogue Uchiha." Sasuke, realizing his clan was indirectly responsible for the abuse his new friend had suffered, said:

"Naruto, I would also like to say that I'm sorry for what my rogue clan member has done to hurt your family. I hope that incident hasn't made you think I'll attack your family or something." Smiling at the understanding from Sasuke, Naruto said:

"As long as you're loyal, as a friend and fellow future ninja, I am not scared of it." Pausing with his eyes closed for a second, Naruto opened his eyes and said:

"Ojii-san told me he'd like to talk to all of you." Confusion and slight fear ran through the children present. "Don't worry everyone; he will still be in the seal. The jutsu only allows a projection, like the light from the projectors at the academy, to be sent out of the seal on me." As they all slightly relaxed, Kazue came into the room, gushing with pride at her little one's bravery.

"Naruto, I sensed Kurama wants to talk to your friends. Remember little one . . ."

"The maximum I can project Ojii-san is an hour. You've told me a thousand times, Obaa-chan." Glaring the 'alpha-dog look,' Kazue said:

"Watch your tone, young man. I am your grandmother; you're not too old for me to train into exhaustion." Gulping, Naruto knew that his Obaa-chan's idea of training for punishment bordered on abusive. Granted, she'd never hit him . . . hard; she'd just train his attitudes out of his system. To Naruto, that was worse than the academy taijutsu matches because unlike the chunins at the academy, she knew his limit and often made him go beyond it.

"Sorry, Obaa-chan; I'll behave." Nodding to her grandson, she walked to Naruto's room to retrieve the timer.

"Naruto," asked Tenten, "why does your grandmother limit how long you can talk to your grandfather?" Sighing audibly, Naruto explained:

"As a hanyou, I have two types of chakra merged together: biju and human chakra. Although both go together harmoniously, it does give me a disadvantage to my grandparents; my chakra well can become exhausted, unlike with biju, who are pure chakra beings." Looking at everyone's reactions, and sensing his grandmother on her way back, Naruto ended by saying:

"Look, what that means summarized is that I can die, just like any normal human." At this point, Kazue entered the room with the timer. Setting it for one hour, she turned to the other children and said:

"After all of you meet my husband, I give you permission to tell your parents." Stunned at the amount of trust, Kazue used the silence to explain:

"The reason is because, as a parent twice, if I were in your parent's shoes, I would want to know who my children are friends with. However, a word of caution: you must impress upon your parents that I wish to keep this under wraps. Use the fact that it is an SS class secret if you must." Waiting for the children to process the information, Kazue said:

"I know this is a lot to absorb in one night. I only ask that all of you allow my husband to say what he wants to say. He's not that bad; once you give him a chance. I also request that all of you go to bed immediately after the Human Outer Projection, as Naruto uses a great deal of his chakra to project his grandfather." Nodding at the reasonable request, the grandmother set the timer and pushed the button; Kazue decided to stay to observe the children's reactions to her husband and provide them reassurance through her presence.


	13. Shock

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

Once Kurama was projected, all the children were stunned at how . . . normal he looked. Smiling to himself, Kurama looked at all these people that his grandson had trusted. _They are withholding judgment for Naruto's sake. This is a good sign . . ._

"Hello Hinata, Choji, Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba. I would like to say thank you to you five for being friends with Naruto before the public assembly of the village." Looking at each new child in turn, Kurama said:

"I would also like to thank the others I have not mentioned for giving my grandson a chance to be his real self." Nodding in awe, all the children, minus Naruto, wondered at how this wise human could be the Nine-tailed Fox. Yet their senses could not be fooled; this man was the same being trapped inside Naruto. All of their parents had explained the truth as they knew it. Could they have been wrong in how the Nine-tailed Fox attacked the village almost nine years ago?

_Three Years later (Graduation Exam-first time)_

"Up next; Naruto Uzumaki!" Silently and maturely, Naruto walked into the exam room. Many positive changes have come for our favorite jinchuriki, while other changes had come about for his friends.

Once the children had come to terms with Naruto's relation to Kurama at that fateful sleepover, many things happened during the next academic year. In their second year, Sasuke became distant from all of his new friends because of the trauma his brother, Itachi, put him through the night of the Uchiha Massacre. Kazue, knowing how dangerous solitude would be to the poor traumatized child, had encouraged Naruto to just be a good friend to the boy. She even insisted he come over for dinner when she knew he must be lonely; when he came for the dinner, she would always invite all the children from that fateful night. By the beginning of their third academic year, Sasuke was living at the Uzumaki mansion with Naruto.

Their third year, being the fourth year for Neji Hyuga, Tenten, and Rock Lee, was when the older children became distant from their peers. Kazue, knowing the stress of their last year was getting to them, made sure to set up training sessions with their parents and herself supervising. She even went as far as to teach Lee several taijutsu forms she'd picked up from both her travels and her limited time as a student of the Sage of Six Paths. This was incredible for Lee, as he learned forms that had become extinct in the shinobi world.

The fourth academic year was when Kazue decided to have all the remaining academy students, and new genins, come to her house to learn the teachings of peace and chakra usage she'd learned from the Sage of Six Paths before his death. These teachings fascinated the academy students. They were full of things about chakra they'd never even heard about in their teachings. Things like how chakra was as pure as the person using it, the need to be in balance, mentally and physically, to properly wield the spiritual life force, and secrets of the biju.

Kazue revealed to the children that all the male biju were currently, whether they knew it or not, trapped in descendants of their clans. She also revealed that not everyone could be jinchuriki; that the biju were better trapped in their host when the host had a naturally high chakra well on their own. She also added that, because the current hosts were all hanyou in one shape or form, they had chakra to spare.

Naruto also gained the respect he should have gotten from the beginning. The village, although some were quick to forget, most decided to try to put aside their hatred of what Naruto contained and understand the real boy. Under this type of environment, Naruto flourished to the point that his teachers saw a noted improvement academically. Granted, his answers still baffled some; yet because Iruka knew the truth, he would secretly converse with Kazue and mark the test based on her knowledge well of the past events in the shinobi world.

Also thanks to the positive environment, Naruto decided to try to invent jutsu and learn fuinjutsu, as his parents had known and done both things. Once Naruto understood the basics of fuinjutsu, he decided to use them for pranking others as well as storing ramen for school lunch. He never pranked in a mean way using seals; if he had, his Obaa-chan would have made him apologize and trained him into exhaustion for a week.

However, despite her embarrassment over the people he pranked demanding she put a stop to it, she would always say the same thing; though in different ways for different people:

"He is merely practicing his fuinjutsu. If you've been grievously hurt, and not just embarrassed, I will make sure you're compensated. If he has damaged your property, he will fix it, free of charge. However, becoming mad over harmless pranks simply brings us down to his level, don't you think?" When word got around that Kazue would make Naruto repair property damage, many citizens started actually hoping he would damage their property because he would repair it into a better state than before.

Reflecting on all the changes in his life after that fateful assembly, Naruto internally grinned as he stepped into the exam room. He knew he was ready; even if his teachers thought he wasn't.

"Alright, Naruto." began Iruka, "I need the three jutsus we taught in class." _Though how he'll pass the clone jutsu is beyond me,_ thought the chunin; Naruto calmly went through the Substitution jutsu and the Henge jutsu. When the chunin Mizuki asked for the clone jutsu, Naruto looked down a bit sheepishly.

"I have a confession to make, Mizuki-sensei." Internally smirking at his thought that Naruto was going to say he couldn't do it, again, his surprise went off the charts at what really happened.

"I can't do a regular clone jutsu. I've known that since I was five. I just have too much chakra for that to be possible. So, Obaa-chan taught me a form of it that she said should work. Is it okay if I show that one instead?" While Mizuki was steaming at how his plan to pin Naruto with the stealing of the Forbidden Scroll had failed, Iruka was stunned that Naruto may be talking about a jonin level jutsu.

"Alright, Naruto." said Iruka, "You can do the variation of the jutsu as a substitute of the original test." _If its' what I think it is, he will be a fierce opponent in the future_, Iruka thought.

"Multi-shadow clone jutsu!" Silence filled the air as Iruka and Mizuki saw twelve solid clones at once. Iruka, with a dazed look, dumbly passed Naruto the hitai-te. Naruto had graduated from the academy.


End file.
